Usia crinipes Becker, 1906b

Gibbs, David, 2014, A world revision of the bee fly tribe Usiini (Diptera, Bombyliidae) Part 2: Usia sensu stricto, Zootaxa 3799 (1), pp. 1-85 : 31-33

Usia crinipes Becker, 1906b

( Figure 2 , Plate V )

Usia crinipes Becker, 1906b: 208 .

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE here designated; Armenia, 53098/ U. crinipes [folded blue label]/ Typus / Zool. Mus. Berlin [♂ (head missing) in ZMHB] .

Originally described from at least one specimens of each sex. A specimen in ZSMC was not seen, so the only specimen in ZMHB was chosen as lectotype.

Other material examined. Turkey, Amasya, 1400ft, 1–2 June 1959, 7 ♂7♀ leg. K.M. Guichard ( BMNH) ; 1. Van, m. Nemrut, 2700m, 16 June 2006, ♂♀ (leg. D. Schepotkin) ; Erzurum, Kireçli Geçidi, 2200m, N40º21′09.1″ E41º40′58.7″, 31 July 2004, ♀ ; Hakkari, Súvarihalil Geçidi, 2021m, N37º29′49.7″ E43º20′30″, 17 June 2005, 4♂ 9♀ ; 1645m, N37º29′56.3″ E43º27′46.8″, 18 June 2005, 1♂ 2♀ ; Niğde, Darboğaz, 1754m, N37º28′7.1″ E34º35′27.5″, 6 June 2005, 3♂ 2♀ (leg. J. Dils & J. Faes) ( PCJD) ; vil. Tunceli, Pülümür geçidi, 900m, 29 June [19]75, Osella leg. [2♂ 2♀] ( PCDG). ; vil. Sivas, Çamlıbel geçidi, 1650m, 24 June [19]75, Osella leg. [♂♀] ; vil. Erzurum, Askale, 1800m, 30 June [19]75, Ocella leg. [♀].

Etymology. from Latin crinis + pedis, for “hairy legs”.

Diagnosis. A medium sized species so far only known from the eastern half of Turkey and Armenia. Very similar to Usia bicolor Macquart all black usually with a greenish or coppery reflections to thorax and to a lesser extent the tergites and clothed with variable, erect whitish vestiture. Occiput densely grey dusted, male eyes separated by distinctly more than distance across lateral ocelli, a series of distinct long hairs bordering eye margins in front of anterior ocellus, hairs on ocellar tubercle longer than width of frons. Mesonotal vestiture rather untidy, usually numerous long hairs mixed amongst the more numerous shorter ones. Tibia often also with longer erect hairs amongst the short, recumbent ones. Wings clear with a yellowish or brownish infuscation basally. Genitalia typical of the group differing only subtly from close congeners; apices of gonocoxite parallel, tips clearly separated; furca with tip pigmented.

Redescription. Measurements. Body length. 4.4–6.5mm. Wing length. 4.0– 5.5mm.

Male. Head. Oral margin narrow, becoming narrower rearwards, disappearing below, shining black. Frons black, shining, conspicuously grey-dusted anterolaterally, area in front of anterior ocellus depressed. Eyes separated at their narrowest by about one fifth head width, distinctly more than width across lateral ocelli inclusive. Lateral ocellus separated from the eye margin by about its diameter or slightly more. Ocellar tubercle shining, undusted, eye margins in front of anterior ocellus parallel, about half way to front of frons diverging rapidly for short distance before becoming subparallel to rear of oral opening. Translucent white hairs on ocellar tubercle conspicuously longer than the width of the frons at narrowest, rear of frons in front of anterior ocellus with distinct uniserial rows of long proclinate setulae close to eye margins, longer than scape and pedicel together, anterior part of frons with numerous fine pale setulae across entire width. Occiput densely grey dusted, the black ground colour obscured except on a triangular area behind ocellar tubercle which is shining black. Fairly dense covering of translucent white hairs across dusted area, shorter and more even above, significantly longer close to lower oral margin. Ommatidia uniform in size across the eyes. Antennae black, third segment averages shorter than close congeners, less than twice length of scape and pedicel together, swollen below basally, contracted apically, sensilla brownish. All antennal segments with very short yellowish hairs above, longest just before apical sulcus. Palps small, black, apically, clavate tip a about as wide as oral margin, the yellowish white apical setae about half as long as the length of the palps. Proboscis relatively short, about as long as mesonotum, black, dorsally hairless. Thorax. Mesonotum shining black with greenish and or coppery reflections, thin grey dusting on anterior slope of mesonotum laterally, post-pronotal lobe and above wing root. Disc clearly punctured, less densely than average U. bicolor Macquart , the punctures quite distinct with the cuticle between smooth and shiny, punctures often separated by greater than their diameter. Paramedian vittae usually just discernable by their different surface sculpture, faintly transversely wrinkled and lacking punctures, extending from anterior slope of thorax half way to wing insertions. Mesonotum clothed with fine pale yellowish vestiture, sparser than in U. bicolor , consisting of short, erect or inwardly inclined hairs and significantly longer hairs scattered across disc, especially laterally, some of these hairs longer than those on upper occiput ( Figure 2 ). Acrostichal hairs between the bare paramedian vittae multiserial, tending to be inclined inwards or proclinate, widening posteriorly, dorsocentrals not distinguishable from the general vestiture. Scutellum shining, punctured as adjacent parts of mesonotum, hairing as mesonotum, the longest hairs about half mid scutellar length. Pleurae uniformly grey dusted largely obscuring ground colour, occasionally small shining area in upper anterior corner of anepisternum. Long white hairs, as long as any on mesonotum, on pronotum and upper and posterior margins of the anepisternum. Wing. Membrane brown tinged, this infuscation slightly more intense in cells c, sc, base of r1, and all but tip of first basal cell in most individuals, squama very pale yellow, the veins all brown, darkest at base of costa and Rs, often paler level with base of basal cells. Crossvein r-m at or before the middle of discal cell, conspicuously beyond dm-cu. Anal lobe moderately well developed, with evenly curved trailing edge, about as two-thirds width of anal cell. Haltere. Pale yellow, base of stem slightly brownish. Legs. Coxae black with a coating of grey dust like that on the pleurae. Remainder of legs black, undusted, shining below the setulae. Coxae externally and femora ventrally covered with moderately long, white hairs, on the mid and hind-femora these as long as femora is deep, shorter on front femora. Femora dorsally and tibia rather densely covered with short, recumbent, white hairs, longer erect hairs often present on anterior and posterior surfaces in basal third. Abdomen. All tergites shining aeneous black, usually with green and coppery reflections, any thin dusting confined to down-curved margins of first few tergites. Each tergite densely punctate, the punctures tending to form transverse welts, a clear, smooth, shining apical margin present on most tergites. Disc uniformly and densely covered with very short, pale brownish, recumbent hairs, longer, whiter and more erect laterally. Sternites grey dusted, faintly punctate, with long, erect white to very pale yellow hairs. Genitalia. Relatively small and simple, globular. Epandrium rather square, apicolateral blunt extensions but lacking any median ‘V’-notch, mostly shining black, the cuticle punctate evenly coated with pale yellow curved hairs. Gonocoxite about twice as broad as long, shining black basally, rufous-brown apically, the tips well separated, haired as epandrium, gonostyli simple, curved with basal ‘thumb’.

Female. As male except as follows: oral margin decidedly broader, in lateral view visible right to rear of oral opening. Frons a little wider, about one-fifth head width, lateral ocelli separated from eye margin by about twice their diameter. Vestiture as male, but acrostichals rows often sparser. Genitalia. Tip of abdomen coming to a rounded point; apical sternite rather rectangular, apical notch present but not deep although often visible in undissected specimens. Main part of apical sternite with raised transverse ridge clothed with long whitish hairs. Furca with tip sclerotised, usually with blunt, rounded tip, arms very long and semicircular, conspicuous pyriform, dark-pigmented vaginal plate.

Discussion. This is a rather obscure taxon, clearly a sibling species of U. bicolor Macquart , differing only in its longer vestiture and slight structural differences, including of the male and female genitalia. As far as can be deduced from the available data this species and U. bicolor do not overlap in range, the latter occurring further south and in the lowlands, while U. crinipes is found in the mountains from the Taurus Mountains east to Armenia, usually above 1000m, although lower down in the northern part of its range.

Distribution. Armenia (lectotype only), mountains of the eastern half of Turkey.

Figures

FIGURE 2. ♂ U. crinipes head and mesonotum.

PLATE V. Usia crinipes Becker, 1906b; a epiphallic complex ventral, b epiphallic complex lateral, c gonocoxite & gonostyli ventral, d gonocoxite & gonostyli lateral, e epandrium dorsal, f epandrium lateral, g female genitalia ventral, h female sternite 8 ventral.